Mumbai private offices recommended to allow work from home
The Maharashtra State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) has recommended that private offices in Mumbai permit employees to work from home where possible, while non-essential government offices will operate for half a day due to ongoing severe weather conditions.
This advisory follows heavy to extremely heavy rainfall affecting parts of Maharashtra, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a red alert for several districts. Earlier on Monday, intense rainfall caused flooding in low-lying areas of Raigad and disrupted traffic movement on the Mumbai-Goa Highway due to waterlogging.
IMD scientist Bikram Singh reported, “Many places in Mumbai have received heavy to very heavy rains, with extremely heavy rains in isolated places and over ghat regions. Pune district, Raigad and Palghar have also received extremely heavy rains. Lonavala has received the highest rainfall today at 670 mm.”
He added, “For the next 24 to 48 hours, we are again keeping a red warning for Raigad, ghat region of Pune district, Nashik and Palghar. The next 48 hours for these districts is crucial. Over the Konkan region, an orange alert is in place.”
Meanwhile, Central Railway announced multiple train services have been diverted, short-terminated, short-originated or rescheduled due to a landslide between Lonavala and Karjat, urging passengers to check revised train timings before travelling.
The Central Railway chief public relations officer (CPRO) also reported local services were suspended between Kanjurmarg and Bhandup on the slow line towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) after a plastic item became entangled in the overhead equipment (OHE). “The plastic is being removed by turning off OHE and services will be restored shortly,” the CPRO said.
Western Railway’s CPRO Vineet Abhishek stated that Palghar received over 300 mm of rainfall in 24 hours, resulting in waterlogging in Vasai, Nalasopara, and Virar. “As a result, train services are impacted between Vasai, Nalasopara, and Virar. As far as local trains are concerned, between Churchgate and Vasai Road, our trains are running smoothly with a delay of around 20 to 25 minutes,” he said.
He added, “Regarding local train services between Vasai, Nalasopara and Virar, we are running the bare minimum number of services between these stations. Regarding long-distance trains, most of the trains are getting regulated. Those trains which are coming towards Mumbai are getting regulated before Virar. Some of the trains have been short-terminated, and we are regularly informing our passengers about the status of these trains.”
Mr Abhishek further explained that the railways are coordinating with city authorities to ensure real-time updates reach passengers through social, print, and electronic media. “Monsoon is so heavy, particularly for the city of Mumbai, and we are ensuring that effective coordination, impactful coordination is maintained with city authorities, both the railways together, and we are ensuring that as far as our communication to our passengers is concerned. It’s coordinated, and we are ensuring that the communication reaches our passengers in real time through social, print, and electronic media, and we are ensuring that our passengers do not get inconvenienced,” he said.
In response to the weather, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued a safety advisory for construction sites due to wind speeds of 70-80 km/h. It instructed developers, architects, licensed surveyors, contractors, project managers and site engineers to inspect and secure scaffolding, cranes, tin sheets, loose materials and other temporary structures.
The BMC directed that lifting operations and work at heights be suspended when weather conditions pose a risk, and that weather conditions be continuously monitored until normality returns. It emphasised that safety compliance is mandatory and urged strict adherence to the advisory to protect workers, nearby residents and the public.
The civic body stated, “All workers shall use prescribed PPE and fall protection. An immediate site-wide safety inspection shall be conducted and all unsafe conditions rectified without delay. The safety of workers, neighbouring residents and the general public is of paramount importance. All developers are requested to treat this advisory with utmost seriousness and ensure strict compliance with all applicable safety regulations and best construction practices.”
